mercredi 11 décembre 2013

Methional is an organic compound having the
general formula CH3SCH2CH2CHO. When pure in ordinary conditions,
it is a colourless liquid, with a strong odor of cooked potatoes,
of potage cultivateur, with bacon notes... In the kitchen, it can
indeed appear during potato cooking, for exemple, but also during
tea production. It is made from the amino acid called methionine.

Note by Note Cooking is
a new culinary technique using pure compounds in order to make
dishes.

However, one can
understand that, in order to make food practically, in a reasonable
time, some shorter ways can be used : whereas « pure Note
by Note Cooking »is using only pure compounds (no meat, fish,
egg, vegetables, fruits...), it is admitted to use fractions from
animal and plant tissues, obtained by fractionation or cracking of
such tissues (this is « Practical Note by Note Cooking »).

Or course, one can also
only add pure compounds to traditionally prepared dishes, but of
course this is less new.

As Note by Note Cooking
proved sometimes difficult too make, we propose, for this second
contest, to familiarize cooks with this new technique proposing only
the use of one compound : methional.

What
it is proposed to do:

For this Second
International Contest of Note by Note Cooking, it is proposed to make
between one and three dishes which have all to contain methional.
This compound will be sent to participants, under the form of dilute
solution in neutral oil.

The submitted dishes
will be judged according to how clore from pure Note by Note Cooking
they are. But of course the originality of methional implementation
will also be considered.

A good appreciation
will be given to dishes containing no plant tissues (vegetables,
fruits) or animals (meat, fish, eggs), but only new fractions from
such tissues (for example, egg white powder, milk proteins
fractions...). Participants will be free to get these fractions by
themselves or to make them.

Each dish (maximum 3)
has to be:

described by a
recipe (maximu 2 pages, Roman 12), indicating :

- all ingredients used
with quantities

- the production
process

shown on pdf
pictures (5 maximum, production steps can be shown).

Evaluation
criteria :

Reproducibility.

Methional
implementation.

Originality of
methional implementation.

The use of other pures
compounds rather than fractions.

Of course, the proposed
dishes should not be toxic !

Flavour complexity will
be appreciated : a dish with consistency, odor, taste, colour...
will be preferred to simple productions.

Who can participate?
This contest is open to all (categories will be made between
chefs, amateurs, food engineers...)

How to participate?

Simply apply by email
at herve.this@agroparistech.fr,
giving a postal adress (for the reception of methional sample) and a
phone number.

lundi 2 décembre 2013

The Experimental Cuisine Collective's December meeting will take place on Monday, December 9, from 4 to 6 p.m.
in the Chemistry Department at NYU, room 1003 (31 Washington Place,
between Washington Square Park and Greene Street). You will need a
photo ID to enter the building.

Elizabeth Andoh,
one of the world's leading experts on Japanese cuisines, will lead us
through a presentation and demonstration on the culture of Japanese
pickles.

We'll start by
assembling a few quick-fix pickles to enjoy toward the end of the
program, which will be served alongside artisan-made tsukémono Elizabeth
will bring from Japan. Everyone will take-home one of the unusual
ingredients used in making the gourd pickle. We will also sample the
following pickles: Impatient Pickles of cucumbers, cabbage;
Sweet-and-Sour Rosy Radishes; Sour & Spicy Yellow Gourd Pickles;
Blooming Eggplant, Hana-Zushi: a specialty of Akita Prefecture made with
chrysanthemums and eggplant in a pickling process that includes komé
koji or fermented rice mash; Smoked Daikon, Iburigakko: a specialty of
Akita Prefecture uses air-dried, whole daikon radishes that are smoked,
then fermented in a rice bran; and Mosaic, Kinkon-Zuké: a specialty of
Iwate Prefecture, carrot and burdock root wound in kelp and stuffed into
a daikon radish before being submerged in miso.

Please RSVP at ecc122013.eventbrite.com. A link is also posted on our website. If you RSVP and can no longer make it, please let me know right away so that your seat can be released---thank you!